These were all circumstances that hadn’t existed in her previous life.
In her previous life, the Triad Society had been entrenched on Hong Kong Island. Their leader, though shrouded in mystery, had never shied away from public appearances.
Nor were there so many individuals possessing abilities that were neither quite human nor divine.
According to insiders, he had started working for the gang at a very young age, climbing the ranks step by step through his cunning and intellect.
He hadn’t grown at such an inhuman speed into his current ferocious state.
Xu Si’s gaze was fixed on the paper. The muscles around her lips felt slack, yet seemed on the verge of snapping. Her posture was like that of a figure in a still-life painting.
Realizing something, she struggled to speak, "Then... the antidote... When will you give it to me?"
The other party laughed. "Once you’ve finished your job, you’ll naturally get a bottle. If I gave you everything at once, how could you focus on the task? Don’t make us inject you with some obedience drug. Don’t worry, we don’t want to seriously offend the Triad Society; we just want a few people. The drug is definitely real, and we’ll certainly give it to you. Take it back with you, and be sure to put in a good word for us with Test Subject 0001."
DRIP. DRIP. Water trickled from the drain, mixed with decaying, rust-covered iron fragments. A single sip looked lethal. The drain, with its deliberately left gaps, likely served as an air vent.
Listening to the sound of murky wastewater flowing, Xu Si closed her eyes. She analyzed that the guard might indeed have the antidote. She bit down with her weakening teeth and squeezed all the wetness from her eyes. Swallowing hard, her throat felt raw, as if tearing, and she couldn’t take anything down. There wasn’t a trace of moisture to wet her lips and tongue.
When people are in dire straits, their minds tend to race with wild thoughts. Xu Si believed so.
In that instant, many images surged through her mind. The pristine, noble youth; the proud, aloof Dictator. Their builds were quite different, yet the two extremely conflicting images intertwined relentlessly. Neither looked like they could possibly feed on fresh blood. Such a proud and exceptional person... How could he allow himself to degenerate to such a state? So... he was firmly trapped, confined to the Underground City.
Unable to sense the passage of time, Xu Si endured, becoming as still as a stone monument. She noticed her arms slowly regaining strength and quietly waited for an opportunity. As soon as two of her fingers could grip, she would first find a way to break the coarse hemp rope binding her from behind.
Occasionally, sharp sounds—CRACK! CRACK!—would erupt from the drain. Such noises occurred frequently enough to disturb her rest.
She had grown accustomed to it. But suddenly, after dozens of these sharp sounds, someone opened the iron door.
Xu Si immediately looked up, her senses amplified. The first thing she heard was a voice:
"I never thought you’d walk right into our trap for this woman. I was expecting at least a standoff for a while. Well, that saves us the trouble of finding you. Don’t worry, I remember the deal you proposed. As long as your Triad Society brings the people we want and lets us complete the experiment, our boss will definitely release them."
It was the same person who had looked down on her earlier.
He said... someone came in for her?
Then, a deep, magnetic voice, tinged with a teasing smile yet utterly unrestrained, sounded out, "I haven’t brought anything. Very sincere of me, wouldn’t you say? So why search so thoroughly?"
"Hah, 0001, welcome back."
As the words fell, someone walked in. The footsteps were slow, heavy, and unmistakably familiar.
Xu Si frowned ever so slightly and opened her eyes. The man was draped in a robe, one muscular shoulder, covered in demonic face tattoos, exposed from being searched. Silver hair draped across his chest, with stray strands tucked behind his ear. The bewitching shape of his eyes and the red mole on the tip of his nose were striking even in the dim light. His eyes, framed by drooping lashes that gave an exaggerated look of distress, fixed directly on Xu Si’s peach blossom eyes.
His red lips were set in a straight line, alluring yet sharp.
His voice was as hollow as ever.